Q: My Portafold has been painted.  How do I remove the paint and go back to the original GRP gellcoat finish?

A: The bottom half of my Portafold had been painted bright yellow by a previous owner and I used a paint stripper specially designed for use on GRP boats sourced from a local boat chandlers.  It’s strong enough to remove the paint but not so harsh that it eats into the gellcoat.  It takes a lot of patience, scraping and scratching but the end result is well worth the hard work.  Once the paint has been removed you can then T-Cut and polish the gellcoat back to a shiny gloss finish.

Q: My cushions are too soft and are not offering any support when I lie on them.  Where can I get replacement foam from?

A: I now sell custom-sized sets of foam for Portafolds delivered direct to your door. Check out the Portafold Shop (or Parts & Spares page) for more details.

Q: I’ve lost the keys for my Portafold.  Where can I get replacements?

A: If you want to keep the original handles you can find the key numbers by removing the handle and cleaning the shaft with a small wire brush.  On one side of the shaft should be two letters and on the opposite side should be three numbers.  These combined should read something along the lines of FS693 or FT351.  For information on retailers selling keys check the forum topic on keys and handles. If you can’t find any letters or numbers then brand new handle sets are available, check the Portafold Shop (or Parts & Spares page) for more information.

Q: What tyre pressures should I use?

A: Check out the forum topic entitled 'Tyres' for all the information you will require on tyre types and pressure.

Q: What wheels did the Portafolds have as standard? and if I want to change them which wheels will fit?

A: The standard wheels were 10" steel wheels manufactured by Rubery Owen who also manufactured steel wheels for a range of cars including the Lotus Cortina. Mini or Reliant 10” x 3½ J steel wheels, we believe, are identical and should fit fine.  This also means that you should be able to fit pretty much any wheel from the large stock of wheels available for the original Mini.  Bare in mind though that by having wider wheels you’ll only increase the chances of the Portafold wandering whilst it’s being towed.

Q: Which hub caps and wheel trims will fit on my steel wheels?

A: As the standard wheels are very similar to Mini or Reliant steel wheels, any hub caps and trims designed for the 10” steel wheels should be an exact fit.  Although, I have seen some of the later Portafolds and most, if not all of the Ansfolds had longer style hubs which don’t allow the fitting of Mini and Reliant hub caps. I have now sourced a manufacturer of hub caps who makes the original hub caps using the original tooling. Check the Portafold Shop (or Parts & Spares page) for more info.

Q: I’ve got the original flocked roof.  How can I stop it moulting?

A: Although I have yet to put this treatment to the test I have been assured that painting on a weak water & PVA mix will help to re-bond the flocking to the ceiling and should stop it moulting.  Apparently, the key ingredient is to add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to the mix as this acts as a plasticizer and makes it easier to apply.  The correct ratio of PVA to water I have yet to find out but I would start with a weak mix and if it’s not binding enough then you can always mix up another batch with more PVA in it.  What you don’t want to do is have too strong a mix else you’ll lose your flocked roof beneath a thick shiny coat of PVA glue.